Like a Venemoth to a Flame
by Just Call Me Meeka
Summary: 2 years before Ash Ketchum became a trainer,Arianna Hartlove set her sights to be the greatest trainer the world would ever know. Unfortunately she never catches any breaks,from evil gangs trying to kill her,to her own Pokemon trying to rip her throat out,to explosions & hospitals,and a mysterious guy who won't tell her who he truly is. But Ari will stop at nothing to be the best.
1. Every Story Needs a Boring Beginning

There is a knocking on the door. I really don't feel like getting up and walking 5 feet. My bones are too old for this. "I'm coming!" I call out. I can feel every bone snap as I get to the front door, only 4 steps away from the couch. When I open the door I find a young - cute - boy standing there with a Houndoom next to him. I almost start to cry right there.

"Excuse me," said the boy (he only looked to be about 16), "I've come here to find Arianna Steinback." The Houndoom sat next to him.

"You've come to the right place. I'm Arianna Steinback. But just call me Ari alright?" I spoke. "What would you like?" I motion my arms around the room for him to pick a chair and sit down in the living room. The boy looks like he's gonna burst from happiness. He picks a chair across from me and the Houndoom lays at his feet.

"Scout and I wanted a story out of you," the boy said, motioning towards the Houndoom, "The name's Roy. I've heard many stories about you. People say you were one of the greatest trainers in the whole world, you-"

"Hey," I interjected, "I still _am _the greatest Pokemon trainer in the whole world. I haven't died yet… but I probably will soon. Age has been creeping up on me like a Persian stalking its prey."

"Aww! Don't say that! You're not gonna kick the bucket just yet," His eyes glimmered with amusement, "At least not until you tell me about your life."

"So you don't consider 86 to be old? I feel like a _rusty_ bucket. But if a story is what you want, then a story is what you'll get," I give a slight cough, "It all started on a dark and stormy night… just kidding, that's too cliche."

"Before you start Ms… Ari, could you tell me why there's hardly anybody living on this island? I thought this place was supposed to be thriving. But there's only maybe 20 people left."

I snort. "That's because you younger kids are so obsessed with big cities and huge buildings, you've forgotten about the greatest thing- mother nature. So while everyone of the new generation of offspring has moved to Cianwood City or Cinnibar Island across the water, the rest of my generation is spending the rest of their days here on Mystery Island."

"Well, for the record, I like Mystery Island, and I would have gladly lived here in its heyday."

I smiled. Maybe this kid wasn't too bad after all. "Alright, let's start this story… but just so you know, you're probably getting more than you bargained for. My life story has a bunch of tragedy in it, so who knows, maybe _both _of us will shed some tears. Just be prepared for anything. Now, I'm going to start after the death of my mother, since that just brings back terrible memories. I think we'll start the day before my fourteenth birthday."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I woke up with a start. Today was _almost _the day. Almost the day of my fourteenth birthday. No more would I have to stay in Little Root Town. Now I could finally go out and see the world. It was my biggest dream to see every region. I felt movement to the left of me on the bed. I turned my head and woke up my Eevee. "C'mon Eevee, it's almost the big day!" I squealed. I started to giggle and hugged her.

"… Eeevvvee…?" Eevee yawned.

"C'MON TIME TO GET UP!" I half yelled and laughed. Eevee jumped out of bed and curled around my feet. "This is no time to sleep! We have to get to the lab!" Eevee finally fully woke up and we headed to the kitchen. On the way there I checked to see if my dad was still sleeping, but his bed was empty and I knew he was already at the lab. The note left on the kitchen table confirmed this.

_"At the lab already sweetie. Happy day-before-your-birthday _

_day! Eat some breakfast and come see me, maybe we'll _

_finally find the perfect nickname for Eevee. I mean, it has been_

_7 years hasn't it? I love you my dear."_

_Love, Dad_

I grinned and grabbed my cereal from the cabinet. Next to mine was Eevee's special food and I grabbed that too. I poured each of our breakfast into separate bowls and laid them on the table. My dad had made a special chair just for Eevee and she jumped on it and ate her food. I poured some water for her and myself and we finished our breakfast in silence while the radio played some alternative music. My dad and I liked that kind of stuff. Guitars with nice riffs. It was pleasing to my ears. When Eevee was all done I grasped the bowls and left them in the sink. I turned off the radio and I went to get changed into a light blue t-shirt and black skinny jeans.

Now I know what all of you have been wondering from the start: Why am I still home when I'm waayyyy over ten? It's because Professor Birch and my dad needed me to stay and help them with chores at the lab. And plus my dad is over protective since my mom died from an illness almost nine years ago. So I guess he has good intentions.

As Eevee and I walked to the lab, the usual neighbors said "hi" and "hello" to us as they went to Oldale Town. They were so lucky. My dad hardly ever let me go to Oldale Town, only when he needed to go himself, and that wasn't very often.

The lab was a nice, cool atmosphere and Eevee and I quickly walked to the back of the lab. There I found Professor Birch and my dad tangling with a treeko and trying to get it back into its pokeball.

"Here, let me try." I said, prying the Professor's and Dad's arms off of the poor Pokemon. My dad gave me the pokeball and I walked slowly to the cowering treeko.

"It's okay Treeko. I'm sorry the Professor and my dad are meanies, but we just want you to go into the pokeball, that's all." I whispered. The treeko looked up and stared into my eyes, trying to judge if I were good or bad. I saw what looked like its head nodding and I returned it to the pokeball.

"Now _that's _how you do it ladies," I laughed, smirking. My dad grinned and gave me a hug.

"Good morning honey."

"Good morning Dad."

"Good morning Ari."

"Good morning Professor Birch."

"So," the Professor went on, "How does it feel to be almost fourteen?"

"It feels so great, and I can't wait to get out of this tinier than a diglett town." I exclaimed.

"And I see Eevee is doing well. Have you really not come up with a good nickname?" The Professor asked.

"Nope, I guess the time just isn't right."

"But you've had plenty of time… In fact you've had seven years' worth of time to nickname Eevee." he chuckled. I didn't find this funny. It's just that no name seemed good enough for Eevee. Ever since I got her for my seventh birthday, I just couldn't come up with a name. There seriously must be something wrong with me.

"Anyway, because I'll probably be out researching most of the day tomorrow, I thought I'd give you your present now." Birch announced. Now this was a nice surprise. A present before it's even my birthday! So far I was starting to like this day.

"Now," Birch started, "You have 3 choices and you can only pick one, okay?"

"Why? I'd like to have all three."

"Well you can only have one so deal with it. The first choice is the power of the sea, being able to wield the water and ocean at your finger tips. The second choice is electricity, being able to zap enemies like lightning, making everyone's hair stand on end. Or you could even choose fire, being able to start something raging, for fire is the strongest of them all."

Well this was a hard choice. Water, electricity, or fire? All seemed like a great choice. I didn't know where Professor Birch was going with this little Q&A, but I wanted to quickly make a decision. I needed an opinion, especially if she was coming with me on my journey.

"So Eevee, which choice do you think I should pick? Water, electricity, or fire? They all seem great so I need your help. Say your name once if I should choose water, twice for electricity, and say your name three times if I should pick fire." I explained. Eevee looked up at me expectantly, well really she seemed like she was thinking.

"Eevee….. Eevee.." So it looked like we were picking electricity. "Eevee." Oh well, then.

"Professor Birch, the Eevee has spoken, we'll choose fire." I said. Birch smiled and reached into his pocket. So what the heck was this guy gonna give me? He pulled out a red rock, and what looked like flames in it.

"This, Ari, is a fire stone," Birch told me, "This stone can evolve certain Pokemon, including your Eevee."

"My Eevee?"

"Yes, you can evolve her into a Flareon." A Flareon huh? That sounded pretty cool, but I've never actually seen one. But people say they're pretty strong.

"Will Eevee still be nice? I've heard of trainers saying a Pokemon's attitude can change if it evolves…"

"I swear," Birch concluded, "Eevee will still be as sweet as always, but you don't _have _to use the stone on her." I looked at Eevee and she gave me a happy look back. I knelt down next to her. "Do you want to be a Flareon?" Eevee looked up at me with expectant eyes. Then I saw what almost looked like a nod of some sort.

"Alrighty then, Eevee, you'll become a Flareon." I took one last look at the stone and Eevee, then held out the stone. Eevee touched noses with it and there was a bright flash of white then red. I had to shield my eyes from the harshness of the glow, and when it went away it was hotter in the room. I looked down at Eevee, but Eevee didn't seem to be Eevee anymore.

In her place, there was a taller, goldenish-tannish creature that looked a lot fluffier than Eevee was. There were sparkles falling all around her, Eevee - Flareon now - looked breathtaking. This girl's got some serious style.

"Well Flareon's sure got some… _flare._" I mumbled. And that's when it hit me.

Literally. Flareon rolled on top of me and licked my face, only she was searing hot.

"OWWWWW!" I screamed. "FLARE STOP IT!" Flareon immediately got off of me. Birch and my dad were just staring.

"What are you guys looking at? I just gave her nickname, geez…" I looked down at Flare. There was amusement and apology in her eyes. I broke out into a fit of laughter. Flare joined in with me, realizing the joke.

"Huh, I told ya," Birch stated, "I knew _Flare's _love for you was too strong for her to change her personality. But you do need to watch out for that heat. It seems Flare hasn't learned how to control it. Let me take her back to the examination room for a bit… And now that I'm actually getting a good look at Flare… Howard, do you think Flare is shorter than the average Flareon?" I nodded and looked back at Flare. She seemed normal to me. Maybe she was just a runt. But I didn't care, she was so perfect.

"I think you're right Birch," My dad answered, following him to the examination room, "Flareons are supposed to be two feet and eleven inches, but this one looks to be only two feet tall…." The two guys walked down the hall in the very back of the lab, past all of the enclosures with starter Pokemon in them, and went into the examination room. I sighed, sauntering into the room behind them. While passing the enclosures I looked at all of the different Pokemon newbie trainers could choose from- a Treeko, Mudkip, or Torchic. All three of these Pokemon were cool, but my heart was with Flare. For my seventh birthday my dad had rescued an Eevee in the wilderness and gave her to me. Eevee had been like a best friend to me, and I'd almost stretch that as far as her being almost like another mother to me, since at that time I was still missing my real one. Now Flare and I could go anywhere tomorrow, and now that she was stronger, we were going to knock some people's socks off, she and I were going to do great things!


	2. No Cake For Me

My excitement was unfiltered the next day and I really just felt like cheering for myself. I woke up Flare, who was a lot warmer than when she was an Eevee, and slid out of bed. I quickly put on another pair of skinny jeans (blue this time, gotta switch it up) and an almost navy blue t-shirt.

Dad was waiting for me in the kitchen, with a special birthday breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and hash browns. Flare sniffed the air and concluded that she would partake in the feast. The three of us sat around the table and dug into the sweet and salty -ness of the food. Between mouthfuls my dad tried (and failed) to keep up a conversation.

"Sho how doesh mah lovely lady fweel on dis fwine day?" he choked, "It bet you fweel purdy special." I almost choked on my own food from laughter.

"I'm feel great Dad. I can't wait to get out and see the world! Do you think I should try to go for the gym badges?"

"I don't shee why not…"

"Can I ask you a question, though? Am I allowed to skip gyms and come back to them if I feel like it?" I was really afraid that I wouldn't be prepared for some gyms.

"Uhrmm… Yesh, I think sho. But just remember that you need eight bashges to get to da Elite Four."

"Of course Dad, thanks." We fell back into silence and piled the food in. Even Flare had seconds and almost had thirds. After having thirds I felt as fat as a Snorlax.

"No more Dad, no more food…" I grumbled. My dad laughed and nodded. I think he gained 5 pounds, too, by the looks of it. Flare licked her lips and burped. I stared at her and she gave me a glance of what looked like embarrassment. I laughed and we walked out the door with Dad tailing us. Flare caught a bit more stares as we trekked to the lab, I guess the townspeople hadn't seen Flare's transformation yet. It was fine, since I'd be leaving them this afternoon.

"Okay," my dad started, "It um… seems I have no clue where Birch keeps the extra pokeballs and Pokedex's." I literally face palmed. "Let me go and find him, alright Ari?" And with that my dad sashayed out the door. It was then I noticed that the lab was pretty empty; it looked like the other researchers were out studying with Birch. I crept to the back of the lab to the enclosures that held all of the starter Pokemon. I peered into the first enclosures which were all small marsh lands. The temperature in these cases were a bit cooler since the Mudkip lived in there. I saw a couple baby ones skipping around and I giggled. Baby Pokemon are so darn cute. I just wanna squish their faces. Flare even casted down her internal flames a bit so she could get close. She was starting to be able to control her body heat, which was gonna be good in case anything happened on our journey.

It was then I heard the front door of the lab open and close quietly. There were a couple low voices echoing out into the hallway where we were standing. Flare and I listened close to the unfamiliar inflections.

"The boss is gonna be so happy when he finds out we just snagged a bunch of rare starter Pokemon." This voice was low and male.

"Yea, and good thing we came when we did! There's no one here to try to stop us." This voice was higher but still a male's. I quietly returned Flare to her pokeball. I peered around the corner of the hallway and almost gasped. There standing in the middle of the lab were 3 guys and 1 girl, all dressed in black muscle tees, with light blue shorts and jackets. Each of them wore matching blue bandanas with what looked like a white skull and crossbones painted on the front. The first one who had talked had curly short brown hair and a beard, muscular, and tall, while the second one was shorter and had short, blonde hair. The other guy had long red hair in a ponytail, and the girl had long, purplish hair going a bit below her shoulders. Who were these guys? I didn't know them, but I sure as crap knew that they weren't going to lay a finger on any of the baby Pokemon in the lab. Not if we and Flare had anything to do about it.

"_Hey_," I called out as forcefully as I could, "None of you are gonna get your filthy paws on the Pokemon. You have to get through me and Flare first." I beckoned them closer with my hand. The 4 weirdos started laughing. I narrowed my eyes.

"Hahaha, you think you can defeat us little girl? Step aside and just let us through, we don't wanna cause any trouble. And we certainly don't wanna hurt your precious _Flarie_, whatever it is!" The lower voiced guy grunted, "Do you even know who your messing with? We're Team Aqua for Arceus' sake!" The name of their group clicked. Now I remembered. I'd heard of these guys on the news and in the newspapers. Team Aqua was just a group full of teenagers who had just gotten off the beaten path, who were filled with "world domination" crap. But unfortunately, these people didn't exactly look like teenagers. I had to still keep my confidence up, though.

I snorted, "Yea right! I could beat all of you with just one Pokemon! Flare, come on out! It's time to show these losers how it's done!" I threw the pokeball out towards them and a beam of white light turned into Flare.

"Flarrreeeeeeeeon!" she called out. I managed to see that some of the team members gasped. I didn't know why really, but I did snicker at their ignorance. Didn't they know what a Flareon was?

"Great, now we'll get a special Flareon, too, boys!" remarked Purplehair girl. Yeah, right. "Go, Poochyena!"

"Go, Zubat!"

"Poochyena, come on out!"

So 3 against 1. Because that was fair. Whatever, I was still going to beat them. I didn't know why Redponytail didn't call out a Pokemon, but at this point I really didn't give a Treeko's tail.

"Flare, use quick attack on the Poochyena to the left! Then ember the Zubat!" I shouted. I watched as Flare raced and zigzagged towards the dumbfounded grey dog, and Flare landed square on her mark. Purplehair's doggy was down for the count. She called it back to its pokeball and she preceded to, and I swear, to pretty much froth from the mouth. That girl has some serious sore loser issues.

Meanwhile, Flare had also hit the ember mark on the Zubat, but not before Beardface's Poochyena gave her a solid tackle. The Zubat tried to use leech life, but Flare dodged it and the attack ended up hitting the poochyena. Let me tell you, that was pretty funny.

"Flare, finish off the Zubat with another tackle, and ember the Poochyena!" Flare gave a nod and raced towards the Zubat. The ugly blue thing with wings tried to get out of the way, but Flare still hit it and the bat had lost. I smirked as annoyance registered on Blondie's face as he called his Zubat back.

Now, it was just down to Beardface's Poochyena and my Flareon.

"Poochyena, tackle!" But before the attack could even register in the Poochyena's mind, Flare's ember reached it, and it went out like a light.

The 4 Team Aqua members stood there dumbfounded, and finally my dad and Birch strolled in the door. Way to go for them to be late.

"So Ari honey, I…" My dad took in the scene in front of him. Let me picture this for you: here I was, standing next to Flare, who was breathing heavily and had a couple scratches, in front of 4 dangerous (not really) members of the notorious Team Aqua, with a fainted Poochyena in between us. Not to mention that during our battle all of the Pokemon knocked over numerous lab papers.

"Whathappenedhere? Whoareyou, whyareyouherewithmydaughter? Aren'tyouTeamAquagetoutofmylabnow, ohwaiti'mgoingtocallthepolice!" screamed my dad. Next to him Birch just looked like he was in a daze. I just grinned sheepishly. The Aqua members had the most terrified expressions plastered on their faces.

And then 10 minutes later all 4 gang members were in handcuffs and Officer Jenny and her colleagues were escorting them to the Police Station. Birch handed me a potion to use on Flare and she become quite jubilant after it was applied.

"I'm so proud you defeated all of their Pokemon with just Flare, Ari," remarked Birch, "It looks like you really are ready for your journey!" My dad just sulked in the corner, still mad that 3 strange guys had been in the same room as me all at once. Gotta love them over protective parents.

Birch walked over to his desk and pulled out a small square of red and a hand-sized string bag. "Here," he said, "This little machine is your Pokedex. It can tell you about any discovered Pokemon, anything about your own unique Pokemon, like he or she's level, and is also an I.D. card, so _do not lose it. _And in this bag are 10 empty pokeballs that you can use to capture any wild Pokemon. Now did you pack everything into your backpack?"

"Yes, Dad, I did," I commented sarcastically, "I think I have everything I need." I turned towards my real dad and hugged him.

"So you're completely sure that I can go?" Because hey, I didn't want to get a call in Oldale Town saying I had to come back; that would just waste time.

"Yes, I've deemed you worthy. But don't get into _too _much trouble, okay? And vidchat me once a week."

"How about once every 2 weeks unless I'm a forest?"

"Close enough…. I'll miss you Ari. Now you go out there and make me proud." I could vaguely see tears getting into my dad's eyes. "Also, just in case… you uh, get lost or Flareon faints, I want you to borrow Talon, okay? You already know him anyway, and I just want to make sure you're safe this whole time…" He pulled out a great ball and threw it up. Out came Talon, my dad's Noctowl. I gave a small sigh then a grin.

"But I can't promise you that I'll always have him out…" I said knowingly. He shook his head. "It doesn't matter, as long as you have him with you, okay Ari?"

"Deal." I gave him another longer hug, returned Talon to his pokeball, and then Flare and I walked out of the lab and into the unknown territory of what was Route 101… Yep, Route stinkin' 101, the very first trail.


	3. So The Day Comes

Route 1 pretty much consisted of trees, grasses, and little ledges that I couldn't really seem to climb. Flare walked beside me and we took in the fresh air. (Flare would rather be walking next to me than in her pokeball) There was a rustling in a bush to our right, and Flare got into her battle stance. Would this be a kirlia? A dragonite? A girafferige?

Nope. Out popped a little creature that was brown and tan striped, with black rings around its eyes. Whatever this was, it was _kinda_ cute… but I had no idea what the heck it was.

"ZigggggggZa!" it wailed, I swear I almost blew an eardrum. I pulled out my Pokedex and held it out towards the creature. Gosh it was so fluffy… I wanted to squish it.

"Aww, who's a cute little piece of dust?" I cooed.

"**Zigzagoon, the small raccoon Pokemon, Zigzagoon are a pretty common species in Hoenn and love the forests. It walks in zigzag fashion. It is good at finding items in the grass and even in the ground. They are also like the bandits of Hoenn and they try to take anything you have, including this Poke-" **At that moment, the Zigzagoon jumped up and hooked my Pokedex in its mouth. And then it ran; that raccoon was the fastest creature I had ever seen. Flare looked up at me; she was just as shocked as me. So Zigzagoons are bandits, huh? Well it looked like I was gonna be the cop then, and Flare was my bounty hunter.

"C'mon Bounty Hunter, we gotta go get my Pokedex!" I declared. Flare looked up at me, not moving. Her eyes looked… confused. "It's a figure of speech Flare!" And with that Flare and I raced after the Zigzagoon that had enough nerve to steal my Pokedex.

"Come back here you dustball!" I shouted. I could just see its little tail twitch into some other bushes. I almost tripped over the roots of the bush and stubbed my toe. I yelped out in pain, but kept running. Flare kept up faster with the Zigzagoon, and almost reached it before it made a sharp turn into some more bushes. Flare and I burst through at the same time, quick enough to watch as the Zigzagoon forked over my Pokedex to a boy who looked only about ten or eleven.

"Sherlock, whatcha bring this time?" the boy asked. To me he looked innocent, so far… "Woah, is this a Pokedex? This is awesome! I've always wanted one, you know Mom and Dad didn't have enough money to buy one." He giggled gleefully and it was only then he saw Flareon and me, covered in twigs and leaves, our hair and fur standing out on end.

"… Umm, can I help you?" The boy had a confused look on his face. I took a couple breaths after running for a good 5 minutes (you can tell I'm not in too good of shape) and gave the boy the best glare I could come up with. Flare joined in with me, and we must have looked pretty intimidating or something because the boy and zigzagoon both took a small step back, eyes a bit scared. The zigzagoon's ears and tail drooped. Served it right.

"Yeah," I shot out, "You _can _help me. That's my Pokedex your Zigzagoon stole from me. Thanks a lot, it's just what I wanted today." Okay maybe I could've been a little less sarcastic but I felt like every bug Pokemon in the area was now stuffed in my shirt. Flare gave a slight growl.

"What are you talking about? My Zigzagoon has the pick-up ability and it found this on the ground."

"You check the name in the Pokedex, Watson? Cuz Sherlock ain't doing too good of a job so far." I snarled. The boy paled, looked at his zigzagoon who cowered, and opened the Pokedex. He pressed the I.D. button.

"**My name is Dexter, Pokedex 100221. I come from Professor Birch's lab. I belong to Arianna Hartlove from Little Root Town.**" A picture of me smiling sweetly popped up. The boy looked up at me trying to decide if I looked similar enough to the picture. I gave a sour smile. He sighed and walked towards me, holding out the Pokedex.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know Sherlock was gonna steal your Pokedex… Again, I'm so sorry, I'll get on his case right away." The boy whimpered. I frowned. Was this kid for real? Whatever. I took back my Pokedex, then Flare and I stalked off towards Oldale Town. "Just don't let this happen again." Sure, I may have been a bit harsh, but I was in no mood to be sidetracking. Plus he was a newbie… oh wait, I'm a newbie too.

We reached Oldale Town about an hour later. The reason we took so long was because along the way we battled wild Pokemon so Flare could get some extra experience. She was a bit tuckered out when we reached the Pokemon Center.

"Hi, how can I help you?" Nurse Joy asked. As she was talking her pink curls bounced up and down and she tilted her head to the side.

"I was just wondering if you could give Flare here a good check up. We've been battling wild Pokemon along the way." Nurse Joy nodded and I gave Flare and her pokeball to Joy. I sat on one of the pink couches near other trainers, but not close enough so they would try to put me in their conversation. I even stuck my head in my Pokedex for good measure. To be completely honest I was a bit nervous. I'd never seen so many trainers in one place. Of course I'd be saying that often because I've only really been in Little Root my whole life. So far only a couple spots had been filled in my Pokedex. I scrolled to the bottom. There were apparently 600 some Pokemon out there! Now that is a lot.

Unfortunately, my attempts to be ignored failed. Miserably. An older guy, maybe about seventeen, walked over from his center place on the couch and sat next to me. His green eyes slowly made his way over me, judging, whether or not his fluffy ginger hair would even speak to me. I narrowed my eyes. Newbie or not, I didn't deserved to be treated like this.

"What do you want?" I asked, wondering why he even came over here because he clearly had the best seat in the house with everyone crowding around him. Now everyone just stared us, wondering why the golden boy had suddenly come to a nobody like me. Their eyes widened even more when I asked my blunt question. I heard one girl near the center of his used-to-be spot whisper "Did she even know what she just said to him? Doesn't she know who he _is_?"

I snorted. I heard her gasp; looked like she knew she'd been caught. I turned back to Gingey. I frowned. He started a smirk, when Nurse Joy came to my rescue.

"Will the girl who owned the Flareon please pick her back up?" I stood quickly, but not too quickly, and made my way to the front desk.

"Thank you Nurse Joy… By the way, do you have any free rooms left?" I questioned.

"I'm afraid not," Nurse Joy frowned, "It seems a lot of kids started their training _today _so everything is booked. I know this isn't as nice, but if you like I can get you some pillows and blankets and you can sleep on one of the couches. Some kids are already staying down here for the night." I smiled and nodded. That sounded fine, as long as the Elitist patrol stayed out of my way. I was actually a bit scared of them. And that Ginger kid really threw me off. I retrieved Flare's pokeball and made my way to a couch farther away.

Then I realized I forgot to do something. I ran over to one of the video chat machines, and punched in the lab's number. I immediately got my dad. I held the phone to my ear.

"H-hello?" I heard his voice, a bit distant. Through the video part I saw the mess behind him. It seemed one of the Torchics got loose and was running around the lab. I saw the Professor prance around chasing after it. I cracked a smile as my dad turned to me.

"Ari! Ari! There you are! I've been worried sick all day!" he exclaimed. I checked the clock in the Center.

"Dad, I've only been gone like five hours," I deadpanned, "It's only about dinnertime. And it seems you guys have a situation."

"Ahh, yes, we do. But not to fear, we have it under control." I heard a vase smash on the floor. "At least I _thought _we had it under control." Dad corrected. I just rolled my eyes.

"Look, Dad, all you gotta do is calm down, stay quiet, relax, and slowly coax the Torchic to you, okay?" I gave a hard look for good measure. I turned around, noticing Nurse Joy calling for volunteers to help make dinner. "Okay, Dad I gotta go, it seems I'm needed by Nurse Joy… I'll call you as soon as I get to the next Pokemon Center." My dad gave me a thumbs up, a smile, and we both clicked the 'end call' button.

Helping make dinner wasn't too bad. The chanseys were there to help and everything went smoothly. I spent the time helping a newbie girl named Sara cut vegetables. We exchanged stories about our first day out on our journeys. It seems she had just left a city called Petalburg a few hours ago too. She explained city life was too busy for her and she just wanted to be with her Clafairy named Rosaline. I told her about my Pokedex mishap and she almost cut herself with the knife in her hand from laughing so hard.

By the time the spaghetti and meatballs, vegetables, and bread were all done, we had swapped pretty much our whole life stories. Sara found it fascinating that I lived next-door to Professor Birch. She said he was one of the most famous Pokemonologists. But unrelated to that topic, she said, upon me asking, she was already in a filled room, sharing it with 3 other people (I was a bit disappointed). But the whole time we were eating dinner and talking, I could feel the penetrating gaze from the ginger haired, green eyed boy.


	4. I Hate People

**UPDATE AND SUCH: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone sticking to my story. I realize I haven't uploaded in a while, that was due to my laptop needing to be checked over and getting repairs. Also, I realize that these first beginning chapters are probably really boring, but I assure that this is mostly due to character development, and the story WILL progress and become better - I PROMISE :') So thank you everyone again (for the third time.. I'm a desperate girl.), and I'd really appreciate reviews :) so... that's it, enjoy your new chapter!**

I took a warm shower and changed into pajamas (which really was just an old tank top and soffe shorts). Then I grabbed some blankets and pillows from Nurse Joy and headed for the couch farthest away from anyone. I sat down, situated where I wanted everything to go, and laid on my new bed. To be completely honest, laying on the Pokemon Center's couch wasn't too bad. A bit harder than my regular mattress back home, but it worked nonetheless.

I almost fell asleep when I remembered something else. I dug into my backpack and pulled out a pokeball. Before I could release her, I felt a thud against the couch. Nurse Joy had already called lights out so it was pitch black and I couldn't see who slid up next to my- the- couch. I pulled out my trusty Pokedex and flashed the brightness on whatever was next to me.

"Gahh-h! Turn that light off! Please! I'm being blinded!" I instantly recognized the person as none other than *drumroll* … Ginger! I threw my Pokedex into my backpack and squinted at the newcomer.

"Why do you keep following me?" I deadpanned.

"Why am I attracted to your beauty? Well, let's see…" he countered. I snorted, grabbed an extra pillow, and whacked Ginger dead center in the face.

Was I annoyed that he was trying to hit on me? Partly.

Was I mad he was attracted to me? No so much.

Did I think he was a bit cute? Yes, definitely. I rolled around, facing away from him. I didn't need to get caught up with boys. Ain't nobody got time for that.

"Okay, okay. Sorry, but I just can't help but feel like your different," he sighed.

"Umm… thanks….?"

"No! Not what you're thinking. I'm just wondering why an Elitist is not talking to me… it's kinda weird to be honest. I'm used to people coming up to me wanting to say hi or strike a convo or something."

"So are you trying to call me a fangirl? Or are you just being an egotistical jerk?"

"Ahh, no! I guess I don't know how to say this without being a loser… I really didn't mean to be an egotistical jerk, promise."

"So I'm apparently supposed to know you? Sorry Gingey, but I don't." I muttered. Then I slapped my hands over my mouth because I realized I'd just called him 'Gingey' out loud. Crap, not a good thing to do Ari. I heard him laugh for a bit. I winced and tried to claw my way to become one with my sofa.

"Haha, that's the funniest nickname anyone has ever given me!" he choked out, "Sorry to burst your bubble Elitist, but I'm _not _the Gingerbread guy from that ogre movie!" He burst into a another fit of laughter. I frowned some more and tried to sleep over his obnoxious - but cute and warming - laugh. But why did he think I was an Elitist?

"I'll let it slide, okay? Sorry, it's just, that's a new one…. Gingey. I might now ask people to call me that!" He laughed a bit more. "Okay, okay, sorry… Hey, what's your name again?"

"I never told you," I said icily, "But if you must know, it's Ari."

"Short for Arianna?"

"You catch on fast." My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I saw him give me a genuine grin. "So what's _your_ name, oh popular one?"

"You don't now my name?" he asked, truthfully surprised.

"Yeah, I don't… We just met." I muttered. Did he think I was psychic or something? He gave me another once over with his eyes and said, "I guess you really don't know… The name's Oliver Stiles, y'know, youngest guy who might become the Hoenn Champion…? Doesn't ring a bell?"

"Huh? Champion? You? Really?" I questioned, dumbfounded. He gave me a wide-eyed stare.

"You really didn't know? I've only challenged Champion Steven, like, five times already."

"Hmm, sorry. LittleRoot Town doesn't really have its fair share of TVs…. And whenever I turn on the radio it's usually to listen to music… and LittleRoot is just such a small place." But this was fairly interesting. The almost Champ-to-be actually _wanted _to talk to me, and I'm a Nobody!

"But out on your journeys… you must have heard of me?"

"Oh, right, I'm not an Elitist, this is my first day on the job."

"What? But you look older than ten…"

"Yea, I'm fourteen. Started late cuz my neighbor Professor Birch and my dad always needed my help in the lab. I wasn't able to start on my journey until today." I sat up, propping my feet on the ottoman two feet away. I patted a new spot next to me on the couch for him to sit. He took the invitation and sat next to me, propping his feet up too.

"That's pretty cool, you live next door to one of the greatest Pokemon researchers! And I knew you weren't ten." Oliver gave a smirk. I smiled and pulled the blanket over to cover myself better. I felt awkward just sitting there next to him, but I just asked the stupidest question that came out, mostly because it was all I could think of.

"… So what's it like to almost be the Champion?" I asked Oliver. He looked down a bit, trying to find the right words.

"Well it feels awesome first off. And don't get me wrong, it'll be amazing becoming Champion… but I can't help but feel scared… y'know? Being Champion has a lot of pressure, especially when you're gonna be the youngest. But I'm sure everything will work out," Oliver looked at me and gave another one of his delightful grins (I swear I heard a girl swoon in the background).

"So if you're almost the Champion, why are you here in the middle of nowhere?" I questioned. Oliver chuckled.

"Well," he replied, "Now that you ask, I'm here to see my dad. He needed to talk to me and came all the way from Kanto to see me."

"Kanto…?"

"Oh, it's another region, northeast of here. It's really beautiful there, I love it. I think I might visit there again soon," he took a pause, "So first day, huh? What Pokemon have you caught so far?"

"Uhh, I only have my starter for now," I said sheepishly, "Haven't caught anything yet." Oliver looked utterly stunned.

"Are you serious? Only one Pokemon?! How are you gonna survive?"

"On food…?"

Oliver face palmed. "You know that's not what I meant. Well what's your starter? I heard Nurse Joy say it, but I forgot the name… Something that starts with an 'F'?" I nodded and took out my pokeball.

"Well here she is, meet Flare." The pokeball popped open in my hand and Flare appeared on my lap.

"Flarrrre," she purred, nuzzling into my stomach. I smiled and patted her head.

"Wow," Oliver whispered, "That is one special Flareon. Where'd you find one? A breeder? How much did you guys pay for her?" I tilted my head. I knew Flare was the coolest Pokemon ever (like EVAR), but that didn't explain why everyone was just all over her… its didn't make any sense. Flare was just a regular Flareon. Scratch that, she's the most special Flareon.

"Umm, my dad didn't buy her. He found her abandoned on Route 101. She was sitting in a cardboard box, crying. She was the only one saved in the litter." I murmured.

"That's so horrible. I'm sorry about your siblings, Flare. I don't know why someone would just leave them alone…" Oliver had a weird expression on his face for a split second that I couldn't place, almost a darker expression, but it was there for a second before being replaced by a puzzled look. "But at least nice people like you and your dad found her." Flare put her paw on my heart, trying to get my attention.

"What is it Flare?" I asked. She murmured into my stomach, but because she wasn't exactly human, I couldn't understand her.

"Flare I have no idea what you're talking about… Maybe you're just tired." Flare decided to murmur again. "Oh, I guess she just wants to see Talon. Almost forgot about him."

"I thought you only had one Pokemon, Ari." Oliver said.

"Oh, Talon is my dad's Pokemon. He wanted me to take him in case anything happened. My dad is _really _over protective." I explained. I held out Talon's great ball, and out he popped in a little flash of white.

"Whhooo?" he inquired. He decided to perch on the left arm of couch next to me.

"Nothing's the matter Talon, we just wanted you out when we go to sleep." I patted him on the head. I turned my head quick enough just to see Oliver give a quick glare at Talon. I heard Talon give a bird-growl behind my head. That was weird.

"…" I had no idea what was wrong with these two. Why were they acting so weird? Talon was usually a sweet Pokemon who loved everyone.

"Well," Oliver started, "I'm really glad to have met you Ari. You're a really cool person. Don't forget that, okay? And if you don't mind, I see my friend Connell over there waving to me. Don't worry, if he asks, I never kissed you." Before I could ask what the heck he was talking about, Oliver gave a peck on my cheek. At that point I didn't know who was redder - my cheeks or Flare. He gave another delightful grin, picked up his sleeping bag, and made his way over to another cute guy with shaggy dirty blonde hair.

Flare gave a small giggle and I heard Talon give another growl. What was his deal? I situated myself once more, a dumb smile plastered on my face, Talon on my legs and Flare on my stomach, and I fell soundly asleep. I felt proud. Way to get those cute guys, Ari!

I almost slapped my own face. I didn't have time for him, I had to get a kick-start on my training! I mean, I _was_ 4 years late wasn't I? My regimen consisted of just beating the gyms and becoming the best. I thought for a moment. But who said I couldn't have any fun? Why should I have to be alone?

But I had Flare. And Talon. And whatever future Pokemon I was going to get. I didn't necessarily need others with me... right?


End file.
